Engaging Departments in Collaborative Planning

Composite Planning (vs solo planning). Leveraging specialisation & scale for better education: ↓ The quality of any lesson plan (or sequence) is limited by the expertise of the planner and the amount of time available for planning. Also, the things we teach are often largely similar across many classrooms and schools. It is for these 3 reasons that—as a profession—we should be thinking hard about 'composite' (rather than solo) approaches to planning. When we set things up in ways that encourage teachers to solo plan, we are essentially pushing ourselves to re-invent the wheel, in a fraction of the time required to create the ideal design, while leaning on our varying levels of expertise. Every driver ends up with a different set of wheels, not all of which are optimal quality, despite costing a lot. Under pressure and lacking support, many teachers end up using poor quality resources found on the internet: https://lnkd.in/enp7zZsx By contrast, composite planning can reduce workload for teachers, and boost learning and equity for students. At its heart are the economics of scale & specialisation: When we collaborate—distributing our time and expertise—we can achieve more. Rough calcs: → 4 teachers sharing out their planning can achieve double the original quality in half the original time → 16 teachers can achieve 4x the quality in a quarter of the time → And so on But, it's not quite so simple: What we teach might be similar between classrooms, but who we teach (and their knowledge) varies a lot. And materials or guides created by someone else still need to be adapted for our own students. This work of 'intellectual preparation' is hugely important (and where our thirst for teacher autonomy should be directed)... fortunately, the economics of composite planning create even more time for it. https://lnkd.in/eMVfndWy Composite planning includes 3 layers: 1/ Group planning at departmental level (including collective decision making, the sharing out of tasks, and quality assurance). 2/ Drawing on high quality resources developed at central level (built with time and expertise, eg. Oak National or great textbooks). 3/ Intellectual preparation at individual level (to adapt and ensure relevant expertise is front of teacher mind). When we put these 3 layer together, we significantly increase our potential for improving student learning/equity and reducing teacher workload. Serious things. 🎓 For more, check out this think piece on the importance of a more composite approach, by Robert Pondiscio: https://lnkd.in/e7zVVqmJ SUMMARY • Effective planning requires lots of expertise and time. • Composite planning (vs solo planning) can be more effective, efficient, and equitable. • Intellectual preparation (adapting a plan for our class) is an essential component of this. 👊

Is your process fostering collaboration or creating Siloes? Process design should be about breaking down walls, not building them higher! ️ Why it happens: We create Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to streamline work within departments. But focusing solely on department SOP can have unintended impact through the entire value chain. When processes are designed in isolation, departmental SOPs can create problems like: a. Limited visibility and alignment: Teams lose sight of the bigger picture and how their work impacts others downstream. For example, an overly rigid marketing SOP might not consider the impact on sales efforts if it delays the release of essential product information. b. Inefficiency: Departments end up working at odds, creating rework and delays. Imagine an engineering team finalizes a design without proper communication with manufacturing, leading to production delays due to unexpected technical challenges. c. Misaligned goals: Departmental targets might conflict with the overall company objectives. A sales team focused solely on closing deals might push for unrealistic deadlines that compromise product quality, ultimately impacting customer satisfaction. What's the fix? Design processes with the entire value chain in mind. This means considering how each step impacts other departments and contributes to the overall goal. How to do it: 1. Break down the silos: Start the design by focusing on the entire value chain, start to end. Involve different teams in the process design phase. This fosters understanding and collaboration. 2. Map the journey: Visually represent the entire process flow, highlighting interdependencies between departments. This enables greater visibility and leads to better collaboration 3. Focus on the big picture: Clearly define the end goal and how each step contributes to achieving it. Let the value chain translate the same and to all stakeholders how they are contributing to the end goal. By designing cross-functional processes, everyone gains visibility and works towards shared goals. #processdesign #collaboration #breakdownsilos #processexcellence

Most executive team offsites follow a similar agenda. We tried something different. And it worked: In the past, when we had executive offsites, we’d typically spend the time reviewing prior quarter performance, identifying areas of feedback and change and reviewing plans for the next quarter. One thing that I noticed was that departments were building up their plans and goals mostly in a silo without much collaboration and input from the rest of the exec team. Yes, the exec team would give feedback on each department’s goals/plans, but this felt less effective than helping each other craft those plans collaboratively from the beginning. While our offsites were “ok”, we felt it was time to try something different. Instead, we focused on identifying and tackling the company’s two biggest challenges and opportunities. We began by asking a simple but powerful question: “What are the two biggest problems or opportunities facing the company right now?” From there, each of us spent 20 minutes independently brainstorming solutions. The goal was to come up with up to three actionable ideas for each challenge, working in silos to encourage individual creativity. Once everyone had their ideas, we regrouped to pitch them one by one. This led to a collaborative and dynamic session where we built on each others’ ideas, refining and enhancing them together. By the end of each discussion, we selected the most promising ideas and immediately started taking action to implement them. We just didn’t want to leave the room until some progress was already underway! This session and the ideas from it then fed into the goal-setting and OKR exercises that involved sub-teams in the company (will write about this later!). This was by no means perfect and we will continue to iterate on the approach. However, for the first time, it really felt like we were all contributing collaboratively to come up with the goals and plans together vs. only giving feedback after the fact. I’ll share updates as we refine and execute these plans, but I’d love to hear if you’ve tried similar things with your team. Let me know in the comments!

What if your 2025 strategic plan could do more than set goals—what if it could transform your culture into one of shared ownership and accountability? Did you know 70% of employees feel disengaged when they aren't involved in decision-making? For CEOs and business owners, that’s not just a statistic—it’s a wake-up call. If your leadership team and employees aren't contributing to your strategy, how can you expect them to feel accountable for delivering results? ► As we approach 2025, now is the perfect time to rethink your strategic planning process. Instead of just reviewing last year’s numbers, ask deeper questions: ✅ Systems & Processes: Are your meetings productive? Are your processes intentional or just habitual? What’s holding back your budget effectiveness or sales accuracy? ✅ Collaboration: Which departments have interdependencies? How do conflicting priorities create silos, and how can we foster visibility and alignment? ✅ Metrics & Capacity: Are you measuring the right things? Is your team’s collective capacity aligned with priorities? ✅ Ownership & Buy-In: Does every leader contribute to strategic goals? Who isn’t bought in, and how can we engage them? Strategic planning isn’t just about setting goals—it’s about co-creating them with your team. When leaders are involved in shaping objectives, they’re naturally more invested in achieving them. The same goes for your employees. ► Tools to Get Started: 💡Strategic Process Reviews: Begin with an audit of systems, processes, and metrics to identify what’s working, what’s not, and what’s simply outdated. 💡Cross-Functional Collaboration Maps: Pinpoint interdependencies between departments to reduce silos and improve alignment. 💡Kanban Workflow Boards: Use Kanban to create visibility into cross-functional workflows, increase transparency, and visualize the capacity of each department to ensure realistic goal setting. 💡RACI Framework: Clearly define roles and responsibilities by outlining who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed to mitigate confusion and ensure accountability. 💡Ownership Frameworks: Assign specific goals and deliverables to each leadership team member, fostering a sense of shared ownership. 💡Communication Plans: Develop structured communication channels to keep everyone aligned, informed, and engaged throughout the process. Have you been frustrated by a lack of ownership and accountability in your company this year? If so, these two simple tools can help you transform how you operate internally—and, ultimately, redefine your company culture. #performancecoaching #strategicplanning #leadershipoffsite

Improving cross-functional collaboration is essential for successful product management. Here are some concise steps to enhance collaboration with other teams: 1. Build Strong Relationships: Invest time in getting to know team members from different departments. Understanding their roles, challenges, and perspectives fosters empathy and trust. 2. Clearly Defined Roles: Ensure everyone understands their responsibilities in the collaboration process. This clarity avoids misunderstandings and overlaps. 3. Effective Communication: Establish open and transparent channels for communication. Regular meetings, updates, and feedback sessions keep everyone informed and aligned. 4. Shared Goals: Align on common objectives (OKRs) and key performance indicators (KPIs). When everyone shares the same goals, collaboration becomes more purposeful. 5. Cross-Functional Teams: Consider forming cross-functional teams for specific projects. This ensures that members from various departments work closely together from the outset. 6. Project Management Tools: Implement tools and software that facilitate collaboration, such as project management platforms (Trello, Asana, Jira) or communication apps (Slack). 7. Feedback Loop: Encourage a culture of feedback. Regularly seek input from team members in other departments and be open to their suggestions. 8. Conflict Resolution: Address conflicts promptly and constructively. Understand that differences in opinions can lead to better solutions when managed effectively. 9. Celebrate Wins Together: Recognize and celebrate collective achievements. Acknowledging contributions from different teams boosts morale and reinforces collaboration. 10. Continuous Improvement: Regularly evaluate the collaboration process and seek ways to make it more efficient. Adapt and refine your approach as needed.

🚀 Cross-Functional Agility (Embracing Agile Framework): Measurable Success Across Departments - Space-O Technologies🚀 Embracing #Agile principles across departments is not just about accelerating workflows; it's about driving measurable outcomes that resonate across the entire organization. Here's how cross-functional collaboration is not just changing our work dynamics but also reflecting positively in our key performance indicators (KPIs): 1. Sales: KPI: Increase in lead conversion rate Impact: Collaborative efforts between Sales & Marketing have led to a more targeted and personalized outreach, resulting in a 25% increase in our lead conversion rate over the last quarter 2. Delivery: KPI: Decrease in time-to-market Impact: The synergy between Product Development, Operations & IT has streamlined our delivery processes, cutting our average time-to-market by 30%, enhancing our competitive edge. 3. Marketing: KPI: Growth in customer engagement Impact: Joint campaigns between Marketing & Technical Teams have leveraged tech insights to create more engaging content, leading to a 40% increase in customer interaction on our digital platforms. 4. HR: KPI: Employee satisfaction & retention rate Impact: HR's agile talent management strategies, in collaboration with all departments, have fostered a more dynamic & supportive work environment, increasing our employee satisfaction score by 20% and reducing turnover. 5. Technical Competency: KPI: Increase in innovation index Impact: Regular knowledge-sharing sessions between Technical & Delivery teams have fostered an environment of innovation, resulting in a 50% increase in the number of new solutions or improvements proposed by the team. 6. IT Infrastructure: KPI: Reduction in system downtime Impact: Proactive collaboration between IT Infrastructure & Operations has enhanced our system's resilience, reducing downtime by 60% & ensuring smoother operations. 7. Admin: KPI: Efficiency in administrative processes Impact: Streamlined processes and & response strategies, thanks to collaboration between Admin, HR & Finance, have led to a 35% increase in administrative efficiency, reducing time spent on routine tasks. 8. Finance: KPI: Accuracy in financial forecasting Impact: Agile financial strategies, developed in coordination with Sales & Operations, have led to a 40% improvement in the accuracy of financial forecasts, enabling more informed decision-making. 9. Leadership: KPI: Alignment with strategic goals Impact: Enhanced communication & agile decision-making processes among leadership have ensured that 95% of departmental initiatives are fully aligned with our overarching strategic goals, driving cohesive & focused growth.  Jasmine Patel , Bhaval Patel , Ankit Shah , Priyanka Wadhwani , Yuvrajsinh Vaghela , Amit Patoliya , Nehal Jani https://lnkd.in/dZGZT8hF #AgileTransformation #CrossFunctionalExcellence #AgileLeadership

𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻! 👉 Information is the lifeblood of every organization. But managing it effectively? That's where things get complex. Information governance is basically how we create, use, and protect information across the entire organization. And...it requires 𝘌𝘝𝘌𝘙𝘠𝘖𝘕𝘌'𝘚 involvement. Take a moment to think about it: ➡️ Legal needs to ensure compliance ➡️ IT handles the technical aspects ➡️ and every department uses and creates data daily. Without collaboration, it will be pure chaos. The interesting fact is that over the last 20 years, workplace collaboration has increased 𝗯𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝟱𝟬%. Yet, many organizations still struggle with effective information governance. But how do you get different departments to work together seamlessly on something as complex as information governance? This is the simple secret: 💡Treat information governance as a product, not a project. Why? A project has a start and a finish - a product is continuously evaluated, refined, marketed, reviewed, and evaluated. So, how can you treat information governance like a product? • Invest in research to continually improve your governance framework. • Regularly assess and test your policies and procedures. • Promote the value of your information governance program across all departments. • Listen to Your "Users". Understand how each team uses data and the challenges they face. • Partner with the tech teams to catalog and document data comprehensively.    The idea of treating information governance as a product has to do with continuously improving and adapting the governance framework to meet evolving needs. Why would I need to adopt this approach? Well, Ryan Rottman, Co-Founder and CEO of OSDB, notes: “Cross-departmental collaboration allows an organization to take on bigger projects and tackle larger initiatives. It's a powerful tool for organizations that are interested in making a splash.”* That’s your why! Remember, it's an ongoing journey so stay curious and keep learning. What's your biggest challenge in implementing cross-departmental collaboration for information governance? Share in the comments, and let's discuss solutions! #InformationGovernance #CrossFunctionalCollaboration #InformationRisk *https://lnkd.in/e_Q6Cuye